The present invention is directed to systems and methods for receiving information related to messaging threats, processing the information, and generating rules and policies in response to those threats. More specifically, without limitation, the present invention relates to computer-based systems and methods for responding to a range of threats to messaging systems including viruses, spam, and other attacks on the server software.
The internet is a global network of connected computer networks. Over the last several years the Internet has grown in significant measure. A large number of computers on the Internet provide information in various forms. Anyone with a computer connected to the Internet can potentially tap into this vast pool of information.
The information available via the Internet encompasses information available via a variety of types of application layer information servers such as SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol), POP3 (Post Office Protocol), GOPHER (RFC 1436), WAIS, HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol, RFC 2616) and FTP (file transfer protocol, RFC 1123).
One of the most wide spread method of providing information over the Internet is via the World Wide Web (the Web). The Web consists of the computers connected to the Internet; the computers in this subset run Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servers (Web servers). Several extensions and modifications to HTTP have been proposed including, for example, an extension framework (RFC 2774) and authentication (RFC 2617). Information on the Internet can be accessed through the use of a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI, RFC 2306). A URI uniquely specifies the location of a particular piece of information on the Internet. A URI will typically be composed of several components. The first component typically designates the protocol by which the address piece of information is accessed (e.g., HTTP, GOPHER, etc.). This first component is separated from the remainder of the URI by a colon (‘:’). The remainder of the URI will depend upon the protocol component. Typically, the remainder designates a computer on the Internet by name, or by IP number, as well as a more specific designation of the location of the resource on the designated computer. For instance, a typical URI for an HTTP resource might be:                http://www.server.com/dir1/dir2/resource.htmwhere http is the protocol, www.server.com is the designated computer and /dir1/dir2/resource.htm designates the location of the resource on the designated computer. The term URI includes Uniform Resource Names (URN's) including URN's as defined according to RFC 2141.        
Web servers host information in the form of Web pages; collectively the server and the information hosted are referred to as a Web site. A significant number of Web pages are encoded using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) although other encodings using eXtensible Markup Language (EML) or XHTML. The published specifications for these languages are incorporated by reference herein; such specifications are available from the World Wide Web Consortium and its Web site (http://www.w3c.org). Web pages in these formatting languages may include links to other Web pages on the same Web site or another. As will be known to those skilled in the art, Web pages may be generated dynamically by a server by integrating a variety of elements into a formatted page prior to transmission to a Web client. Web servers, and information servers of other types, await requests for the information from Internet clients.
Client software has evolved that allows users of computers connected to the Internet to access this information. Advanced clients such a Netscape's Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer allow users to access software provided via a variety of information servers in a unified client environment. Typically, such client software is referred to as browse software.
Electronic mail (e-mail) is another wide spread application using the Internet. A variety of protocols are often used for e-mail transmission, delivery and processing including SMTP and POP3 as discussed above. These protocols refer, respectively, to standards for communicating e-mail messages between servers and for server-client communication related to e-mail messages. These protocols are defined respectively in particular RFC's (Request for Comments) promulgated by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). The SMTP protocol is defined in RFC 821, and the POP3 protocol is defined in RFC 1939.
Since the inception of these standards, various needs have evolved in the field of e-mail leading to the development of further standards including enhancements or additional protocols. For instance, various enhancements have evolved to the SMTP standards leading to the evolution of extended SMTP. Examples of extensions may be seen in (1) RFC 1869 that defines a framework for extending the SMTP service by defining a means whereby a server SMTP can inform a client SMTP as to the service extensions it supports and in (2) RFC 1891 that defines an extension to the SMTP service, which allows an SMTP client to specify (a) that delivery status notifications (DSNs) should be generated under certain conditions, (b) whether such notifications should return the contents of the message, and (c) additional information, to be returned with a DSN, that allows the sender to identify both the recipient(s) for which the DSN was issued, and the transaction in which the original message was sent.
In addition, the IMAP protocol has evolved as an alternative to POP3 that supports more advanced interactions between e-mail servers and clients. This protocol is described in RFC 2060.
The various standards discussed above by reference to particular RFC's are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. These RFC's are available to the public through the IETF and can be retrieved from its Web site. (http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html). The specified protocols are not intended to be limited to the specific RFC's quoted herein above but are intended to include extensions and revisions thereto. Such extensions and/or revisions may or may not be encompassed by current and/or future RFC's.
A host of e-mail server and client products have been developed in order to foster e-mail communication over the Internet. E-mail server software includes such products as sendmail-based servers, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus notes Server, and Novell Group Wise; sendmail-based servers refer to a number of variations of servers originally based upon the sendmail program developed for the UNIX operating systems. A large number of e-mail clients have also been developed that allow a user to retrieve and view e-mail messages from a server, example products include Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, and Eudora. In addition, some e-mail servers in conjunction with a Web server, allow a Web browser to act as an e-mail client using the HTTP standard.
As the Internet has become more widely used, it has also created new risks for corporations. Breaches of computer security by hackers and intruders and the potential for compromising information are a very real and serious threat. Organizations have deployed some or all of the following security technologies to protect their networks from Internet attacks:
Firewalls have been deployed at the perimeter of corporate networks. Firewalls act as gatekeepers and allow only authorized users to access a company network. Firewalls play an important role in controlling traffic into networks and are an important first step to provide Internet security.
Intrusion detection systems (IDS) are being deployed throughout corporate networks. While the firewall acts as a gatekeeper, IDS act like a video camera. IDS monitor network traffic for suspicious patterns of activity, and issue alerts when that activity is detected. IDS proactively monitor your network 24 hours a day in order to identify intruders within a corporate or other local network.
Firewall and IDS technologies have helped corporations to protect their networks and defend their corporate information assets. However, as use of these devices have become widespread, hackers have adapted and are now shifting their point-of-attack from the network to Internet applications. The most vulnerable applications are those that require a direct, “always-open” connection with the Internet such as web and e-mail. As a result, intruders are launching sophisticated attacks that target security holes within these applications.
Many corporations have installed a network firewall, as one measure in controlling the flow of traffic in and out of corporate computer networks, but when it comes to Internet application communications such as e-mail messages and Web requests and responses, corporations often allow employees to send and receive from or to anyone or anywhere inside or outside the company. This is done by opening a port, or hole in their firewall (typically, port 25 for e-mail and port 80 for Web), to allow the flow of traffic. Firewalls do not scrutinize traffic flowing through this port. This is similar to deploying a security guard at a company's entrance but allowing anyone who looks like a serviceman to enter the building. An intruder can pretend to be a serviceman, bypass the perimeter security, and compromise the serviced Internet application.
FIG. 1 depicts a typical prior art server access architecture. With in a corporation's local network 190, a variety of computer systems may reside. These systems typically include application servers 120 such as Web servers and e-mail servers, user workstations running local clients 130 such as e-mail readers and Web browsers, and data storage devices 110 such as databases and network connected disks. These systems communicate with each other via a local communication network such as Ethernet 150. Firewall system 140 resides between the local communication network and Internet 160. Connected to the Internet 160 are a host of external servers 170 and external 180.
Local clients 130 can access application servers 120 and shared data storage 110 via the local communication network. External clients 180 can access external application servers 170 via the Internet 160. In instances where a local server 120 or a local client 130 requires access to an external server 170 or where an external client 180 or an external server 170 requires access to a local server 120, electronic communications in the appropriate protocol for a given application server flow through “always open” ports of firewall system 140.
The security risks do not stop there. After taking over the mail server, it is relatively easy for the intruder to use it as a launch pad to compromise other business servers and steal critical business information. This information may include financial data, sales projections, customer pipelines, contract negotiations, legal matters, and operational documents. This kind of hacker attack on servers can cause immeasurable and irreparable losses to a business.
In the 1980's, viruses were spread mainly by floppy diskettes. In today's interconnected world, applications such as e-mail serve as a transport for easily and widely spreading viruses. Viruses such as “I Love You” use the technique exploited by distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attackers to mass propagate. Once the “I Love You” virus is received, the recipient's Microsoft Outlook sends emails carrying viruses to everyone in the Outlook address book. The “I Love You” virus infected millions of computers within a short time of its release. Trojan horses, such as Code Red use this same technique to propagate themselves. Viruses and Trojan horses can cause significant lost productivity due to down time and the loss of crucial data.
The Nimda worm simultaneously attacked both email and web applications. It propagated itself by creating and sending infectious email messages, infecting computers over the network and striking vulnerable Microsoft IIS Web servers, deployed on Exchange mail servers to provide web mail.
Most e-mail and Web requests and responses are sent in plain text today, making it just as exposed as a postcard. This includes the e-mail message, its header, and its attachments, or in a Web context, a user name and password and/or cookie information in an HTTP request. In addition, when you dial into an Internet service Provider (ISP) to send or receive e-mail messages, the user ID and password are also sent in plain text, which can be snooped, copied, or altered. This can be done without leaving a trace, making it impossible to know whether a message has been compromised.
As the internet has become more widely used, it has also created new troubles for users. In particular, the amount of “spam” received by individual users has increased dramatically in the recent past. Spam, as used in this specification, refers to any communication receipt of which is either unsolicited or not desired by its recipient.
The following are additional security risks caused by Internet applications:                E-mail spamming consumes corporate resources and impacts productivity. Furthermore, spammers use a corporation's own mail servers for unauthorized email relay, making it appear as if the message is coming from that corporation.        E-mail and Web abuse, such as sending and receiving inappropriate messages and Web pages, are creating liabilities for corporations. Corporations are increasingly facing litigation for sexual harassment or slander due to e-mail their employees have sent or received.        Regulatory requirements such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (regulating financial institutions) create liabilities for companies where confidential patient or client information may be exposed in e-mail and/or Web servers or communications including e-mails, Web pages and HTTP requests.        
Using the “always open” port, a hacker can easily reach an appropriate Internet application server, exploit its vulnerabilities, and take over the server. This provides hackers easy access information available to the server, often including sensitive and confidential information. The systems and methods according to the present invention provide enhanced security for communications involved with such Internet applications requiring an “always open” connection.
Anti-spam in use today include fail-open systems in which all incoming messages are filtered for spam. In these systems, a message is considered not to be spam until some form of examination proves otherwise. A message is determined to be spam based on an identification technique. Operators of such systems continue to invest significant resources in efforts to reduce the number of Legitimate messages that are misclassified as spam. The penalties for any misclassification are significant and therefore most systems are designed to be predisposed not to classify messages as spam.
One such approach requires a user to explicitly list users from whom email is desirable. Such a list is one type of “whitelist”. There are currently two approaches for creating such a whitelist. In a desktop environment, an end-user can import an address book as the whitelist. This approach can become a burden when operated at a more central location such as the gateway of an organization. Therefore, some organizations only add a few entries to the whitelist as necessary. In that case, however, the full effect of whitelisting is not achieved. The present invention improves upon these systems by including a system that allows a more effective solution for whitelisting while requiring reduced manual effort by end-users or administrators. The present invention also allows a whitelist system to be strengthened by authenticating sender information.
Other systems in use today employ a fail-closed system in which a sender must prove its legitimacy. A common example of this type of system uses a challenge and response. Such a system blocks all messages from unknown senders and itself sends a confirmation message to the sender. The sender must respond to verify that it is a legitimate sender. If the sender responds, the sender is added to the whitelist. However, spammers can create tools to respond to the confirmation messages. Some confirmation messages are more advanced in an effort to require that a human send the response. The present invention is an improvement upon these systems. The present invention can reference information provided by users to determine who should be whitelisted rather than rely on the sender's confirmation. The systems and methods according to the present invention provide enhanced accuracy in the automated processing of electronic communications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,709, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference, assigned to Bright Light Technologies discloses a system for collecting spam messages so that rules can be created and sent to servers. The disclosed system includes the steps of data collection, rule creation, and distribution of rules to clients. The disclosed system is directed to a particular method of data collection for spam messages. No system or method for creating rules based on input data are disclosed. Nor does it disclose a systematic approach to generating rules. Furthermore, the disclosed system is limited to spam threats and only allows one type of input. The threat management center of the present invention is operative on all messaging threats including, but not limited to, spam, virus, worms, Trojans, intrusion attempts, etc. The threat management center of the present invention also includes novel approaches to the process of rule creation. Additionally, the present invention improves on the state of the art by providing a more generalized and useful data collection approach. The data collection system of the present invention includes modules that process input into data that can be used by the rule creation process. The present invention can also use feedback from application layer security servers as input to the creation process.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/154,137 (publication 2002/0199095 A1), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference, disclose a system for message filtering. The disclosed system allows spam messages to be forwarded to a database by users of the system. In contrast, the systems and methods of the present invention do not rely on the users; rather the messaging security system(s) can automatically determine spam using identification techniques and then forward the results to a database. The system of the present invention can add known spam messages as well as misclassified messages forwarded by users to the database to retain the system. Systems known in the art require the forwarding of entire messages to the databases. In the present invention, individual messaging or application layer security systems can extract meaningful features from spam messages, threatening messages and/or non-spam/non-threatening messages and forward only relevant features to a database.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,130, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference, discloses a technique for detecting “junk” email. The disclosed system is operative only on spam and not the entire class of messaging security threats. The inputs for the disclosed system are limited spam and non-spam e-mail. This patent discloses text analysis based features such as the tokens in a message. This patent discloses “predefined handcrafted distinctions” but does not further disclose what they are or how these can be created. The system of the present invention can classify based on not only the text analysis but also other features of the messages. Additionally, the system of the present invention can include fully automated feature extraction for non-text based features.
In addition, known security systems have been developed to provide peer-to-peer communication of threat information. Such systems are typically designed for a ring of untrusted peers and therefore address trust management between the peers. Additionally, current peer-to-peer systems do not have a central entity. The system of the present invention operates between a set of trusted peers; therefore, trust management need not be addressed by the present invention. Further, a centralized threat management system coordinates threat information among multiple trusted application layer security systems communicating in a peer-to-peer manner. Therefore, the threat notification system can process more real-time data exchange. This makes the distributed IDS (intrusion detection system) more scalable.
In addition, current systems only exchange intrusion alerts. These systems can only notify each other of attacks of which they are aware. While the underlying detection method could be misuse or anomaly detection, the data exchanged is only the detected attack information. The system of the present invention distributes more general information about traffic patterns as well as specific threat information. As a non-limiting example, if anomaly detection is used, the system of the present invention can exchange the underlying statistics instead of waiting for the statistics to indicate an attack. Exchanged statistics can include information about the frequency of certain attacks. Therefore, even if other systems already have a signature for a certain attack, the system of the present invention will notify them of an outbreak of this attack. Additionally, traffic patterns can be exchanged among peers and that information can be further processed by the other peers to infer a global view of traffic patterns. This information exchange can be similar to routing protocols that allow each node to infer a global view of the network topology.